Never Before
by annie.grace
Summary: A Shadowhunter named Scarlett discovers she has warlock powers while out on an investigation with Will. A surprising set of events come to light and everything will begin to change for her, Will, and Jace. It't a story of love, betrayal, and secrets
1. Chapter 1

Will and I decided to split up and go on different sides of the hotel. Charlette told us to be careful and that Susanne was very dangerous, but I was sure we could take her. Will and I are the prodigies of or generation.

But I was wrong.

I was in a room on the tenth floor. It seemed that a young family was staying in here. There were toys and stuffed animals thrown about the room. I walked around looking for any possible clues that Susanne had been here. I picked up a small bear and then it hit me. Will. He had been badly injured. He was dying. I had to find him.

There was a loud crash. I stopped and looked around for the source. The door had been shattered but there was no sign of how. I stood on guard and waited. Then it came again. A large grey tentacle with little yellow needles on the bottom side. It crashed through the door and ripped it off the hinges. Then it came at me. It was too fast for me to dodge it. I gripped the bear, bracing myself for the pain. But it never came. The tentacle hit a sort of force field around me.

That shouldn't have been possible. How? I looked at the bear in my hands wondering if it held some sort of hidden power, but I didn't have time to ponder it.

Susanne walked in. Her tall, slender body made the doorway seem enormous. There were countless tentacle coming out from behind her, but they didn't seem to be a part of her. They disappeared behind her.

She walked through the door and started attacking me repeatedly with her tentacles, but every attack hit the force field. She didn't seem to notice. Susanne was filled with an eerie giddiness. "There you are. I knew you'd be here if your precious little boy toy was." An evil smile spread across her blooded face. I assumed it was Will's blood because there was not a single scratch on her angelic face.

"Will is not my boy toy." I grabbed my seraph blade from my belt and whispered its name. It immediately glowed like fire, but it was cool against my sure fingers.

She attacked me again, and again her attacks didn't hit. I gripped the bear tight in my hands, knowing that it was probably how I was still alive. This time she noticed that I was still unscathed by her attacks and her face dropped in horror. "How are you doing that?" she screamed. Her voice was high and shrill.

I said nothing. Instead, I closed my eyes and let the anger flow through my veins. My mother. My father. Jace. Myself. The whole damn world. It all fueled my fighting. All of it made me stronger.

When I open my eyes, I let a small grin spread across my face. I was eager for the real fight to begin. I darted at her as quick as lighting and with one fluid motion, I slipped it through her chest and into her heart. The blood started to flow out at a steady pace. Dark. Sticky. Warm.

Susanne screamed again in agony. I smiled in satisfaction as her blood flowed down my arm. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me close, using all of her strength to do so. Blood welled up in her mouth and seeped from the corners. "You may have won the battle, but not the war. Things are already in motion." Then she spat blood in my face and became limp. I grinned.

Will.

I had to find him. He was close to death. I could feel him fading. This place was huge though. There was no way I could find him in time. Even if I did, he would be dead.

I bent over to remove my blade from Susanne's chest. It came out easily, but when it did, I felt as if I had been hit with a brick. There were quick rapid flashes of color and people. None of it made sense. I stumbled backwards and caught myself on the wall.

I closed my eyes to think and to catch my breath. Where could Will be?

There was a muffled noise. It sounded like a dead language, but it was strangely familiar. Its meaning teased at the edges of my mind. I couldn't quite grasp it. It was like an image just below the surface of water. Unfocused.

I opened my eyes and there was Will. I had only closed my eyes for perhaps a second and now I was in the complete opposite side of the hotel. His shirt had been shredded, along with the flesh underneath it. There was almost no skin left. Just the red blood and the yellow needles scattered in him.

He was white as paper and his smooth jet black hair clung to his forehead with sweat and blood. It was a beautiful contrast. But there was a massive pool of blood surrounding him. If he didn't get back the Institute now, he would surely die of blood loss. There was no way I could drag him there though.

I bent down next to him and looked at the blood stained bear in my hands. A thought teased at me. Maybe. Maybe I could do it again. Maybe I could save him.

I pushed his matted hair out of his face. He turned his head towards me and groaned. "Scar? Is that you?" He was barely clinging to life.

"Yeah. I'm getting you back to the Institute. You'll be okay," I whispered. I was afraid that if I spoke to loud, he would shy away. I prayed I was right.

"It's too late. Listen, Scar. I have to tell you something." He couldn't even manage to open his eyes. He had to force every word out. I could barely handle it. No one else would die because of me. Especially not Will.

"Shut up you bastard. You'll make it through this." I felt a single tear go down my cheek.

I gripped the bear and put my hands on Will's shoulders. He groaned again. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I put all my energy into my thoughts, and let that energy flow freely between Will and me. I thought of the Institute and Charlette.

The same muffled noise erupted from my lips. The same dead language. The same sense of familiarity. I struggled to understand it, but still nothing. It just teased at me. I desperately tried to grasp the idea but it was always just out of reach.

When I opened my eyes again, Will and I were back at the Institute. It had worked. Blood still seeped from Will's chest. I was kneeling over him, barely able to stay conscience.

I looked up to see Charlette sitting behind her enormous desk. When she saw us, she was horrified. I could only imagine what we looked like. She stood up, the large desk making her look particularly small, and ran for us. I could feel the motherly love from a million miles away.

"Scarlett! What happened?" she shrieked. I felt bad for making her feel this worried, but there was nothing I could do about it. I need her help. I needed it now.

"Will. You have to help him. Save him," I whispered. I used the rest of my energy to say it. There was so much blood. I was covered in his and Susanne's blood. Surely we would both die. All I could do was hope.

I saw Charlette nod.

Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't know how long I was out for. I had been going in and out of consciousness for a few hours, but now I was beginning to grasp my surroundings. I didn't feel like I was a dream, like I had the last few times.

I had come to realize what had happened at the hotel. The image in the water had surfaced, and it horrified me. My future would change. I didn't know how it could even be possible, but it was. People would wonder how, and I wouldn't be able to give them an answer. Not even I knew how it could work.

It wasn't the bear. It was me. I had done all those things. I had used magic. I had teleported. Twice. I had been the one that got Will back the Institute in a matter of seconds. But it shouldn't be possible. I was a Shadowhunter. A descendant of angel and man. My blood should be pure. Not filled with some sort of demon blood. But somehow it was. I knew what I could do know, and I knew how to do it.

I opened my eyes and quickly scanned my surroundings. I was in the infirmary. Everything was white, except for the stone floors and walls. It was clean and crisp, meant for healing the sick or injured.

White.

I laughed. In the books I had read, white meant purity, cleanliness. I wasn't pure. I was far from it. Even without this new development, I still wouldn't be pure. I would still be from the poorest part of town, struggling to get by. I would still carry my mother's shame with me every single place I went.

I saw Brother Enoch standing over Will in the bed next to mine. He was wearing his crimson red cloak that contrasted so greatly with his marble white face. He was holding a gleaming silver surgical tool to remove the needles that were in Will.

Will was gripping the sheets so hard that his knuckles were white. He grinded his teeth and could barely breathe. His back was arched as Brother Enoch glided his hand over Will's chest looking for the best way to remove the needles. I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that he was in. And I blamed myself for all of it. If Will and I had never gone separate ways, he wouldn't be on that bed right now.

I screamed at Brother Enoch to stop. My voice was hoarse so it was frightening to hear. I saw Charlette standing next to Brother Enoch gasp. She took a moment to compose herself. Brother Enoch however, looked up at me with unseeing eyes. His hand was ready to begin removing one of Susanne's needles.

I pried myself from the bed slowly. My energy still hadn't returned from the spells I had used earlier. I knew that if Brother Enoch removed those needles, they would extract a poison that would kill Will instantly.

It was in Susanne's memories. When I had killed her, my mind connected with hers. I knew some of her memories and thoughts, but there were very few. Only about a month's worth. I thought it strange, but I didn't have the time to contemplate it.

I practically crawled over to Will's bed. My legs refused to support my full weight. Charlette ran over to me and begged me to get back in bed, but I wouldn't. Then she tried to help me but I made her let me do it on my own. I never needed anyone's help. I wasn't going to need it today.

Will didn't deserve to die. Not yet. Not when I still needed him. I wouldn't let him do this to me. Brother Enoch stepped back and just observed me. I kneeled next to Will's bed, panting. He looked over at me. His midnight blue eyes were in pain and he was afraid. He was afraid of death. I had never seen him like this. I grabbed his hand and squeezed. I hoped he would feel how sorry I was for letting this happen to him. His hands were rough with callouses, but strong and firm. He squeezed back as if to say it's not my fault.

I nodded. His dark eyes were trusting. He knew something had happened. He knew that I would save him. No matter what.

I did the same thing I had done the last two times. I was tired and exhausted. I had no energy left, but Will needed me. I had to save him. I may not have deserved to go on, but goddammit. He did.

The dead language flowed from my mouth. The words were foreign to me still, but I understood their meaning and the powers they had. They would save Will. They would lessen his pain. But with this magic, you couldn't let it just disappear. The pain would have to have a host. And it would be me.

There was a moment of quiet. I had finished with the spell but I just waited for its effects. The anticipation was enough pain in itself, but I braced myself.

Then it hit me. Searing pain. It hit me like a truck. Fire, pure burning hot fire, raced through my veins. Every one of my bones felt like they were being broken and crushed repeatedly. It felt worse than death. It was only half of what Will was experiencing. I couldn't imagine how much worse it could get.

I had screamed out only once, gasping in air. My lungs struggled to hold any. At the same time, Will seemed to catch his breath. He was panting and felt relieved from all the weight.

For a moment, I didn't know if I would be able to continue. But it was only a moment. The pain seemed to take over my whole body, stealing what little energy I had managed to regain, but I pushed through it. I could feel myself drawing energy from other objects in the room. Even inanimate objects. I slowly built up my strength until I could continue. And I had to. If I didn't remove those needles, Will would die. So I continued despite the pain.

My hands floated over Will's chest. I concentrated on getting the needles out without them extracting their poison. The strange language could still be heard. Slowly, one by one, I removed the small, now red, needles and dropped them on the floor next to me. Each time the hit the ground they made a little _clack_ noise.

It seemed to take hours, but I'm sure it had only been a few minutes. I could feel Charlette and Brother Enoch watching me. I knew how strange it must look to them. A Shadowhunter doing magic. That was impossible. So, maybe, I wasn't really a Shadowhunter, despite my runes.

The pain and exhaustion fought at the edges of my mind, threatening to take me over, and back to the nothingness. I had no strength left, but I was almost done. I would finish. I fought the pain, the exhaustion, the stares. Everything.

Soon, with one final _clack, _the last needle hit the ground. I let go of all the pain and magic. I opened my eyes long enough to see Charlette's mouth opened wide in astonishment. Brother Enoch stood, unmoving. Will, his eyes opened wide, gasped in another breath as the pain returned to him. Though, it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

He looked at me, amazed. I tried to smile at him. I tried to show him that it didn't mean much. That I would have done it anyway. That it didn't take all my effort to do it.

But it did. I could barely move. And yet again, the black nothingness took me over.


End file.
